


Dead Girl Walking

by Athos of Trevilles boudoir (Loki_Likey_Thor_Odinson)



Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2015-03-23
Packaged: 2018-03-19 06:39:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3600057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loki_Likey_Thor_Odinson/pseuds/Athos%20of%20Trevilles%20boudoir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Athos has been keeping a secret from the Musketeers for a long time... And maybe now is the time to tell Aramis.</p><p>{Spoilers for 2.08<br/>Rated for later chapters}</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dead Girl Walking

Aramis was drinking in the corner of the tavern, relaxing now that their recent mission was over. Well, it hadn’t been a mission as much as Aramis saying that they needed to protect the girls from that god awful household... But now they were safe and he was proud to know that they were with his families because of him. He downed what was left in his tankard, and was about to go get it refilled, when he spotted Athos walking over to him. This never really ended well. A new mission already? He sighed and kicked a chair out for him.  
  
“Aramis, we need to talk. It is a matter of serious importance.”  
  
A delicate eyebrow arched as he noticed the Red Guard standing a bit too close for comfort.  
  
“Am I to be arrested?”  
  
Athos shook his head and sat, nervously picking at the lace holding one of his wrist braces on.  
  
“A year ago now, I did something... Unforgivable. It is not in a Musketeer’s nature to keep secrets from our brotherhood, but this one secret, I had to keep. I hope you believe me when I say, I did not wish to keep this secret, but I was sworn, _under oath_ , to keep it. I never wished to keep this from you. You will be the first Musketeer to know this other than I.”  
  
Aramis shifted in his seat, sitting upright as he watched his brother with concern.  
  
“Athos, what on Earth are you on about?”  
  
“Do you remember? Last year, around the time that we were escorting the slave driver to trial, a short while after we did that, I returned to La Fère for personal business?”  
  
Aramis nodded, completely lost as to what Athos was thinking.  
  
“Well, en route, I found a young woman in the forest – severely injured, merely hours left to live.”  
  
He went silent, the wrist brace falling off and startling him before he looked behind him.  
  
The Red Guard tugged his helmet off.  
  
_And Aramis’ heart stopped._  
  
“A-Adele?”  
  
The young woman smiled, tugging her hair down from its bunch on the back of her head.  
  
“Aramis...”  
  
“But you... The Cardinal had you killed, I saw your grave.”  
  
He fell silent before looking directly at Athos.  
  
“You stood beside me, at her grave, _and let me grieve_?”  
  
“Aramis-”  
  
“I never recovered from losing her and you _allowed_ me to live in regret for my choices?”  
  
“Aramis.”  
  
His brown eyes moved to stare at the dead woman in front of him.  
  
“I asked him to keep it from you.”  
  
She moved to sit down next to Athos, setting the helmet on the table.  
  
“I asked him to keep it from you because I was weak. I was shot in the head, Aramis; I only survived because you taught Athos how to sew when you first joined the regiment. He took me to La Fère, had the inn keeper’s daughter keep me safe and healthy.”  
  
“I’ll shoot you Athos and I’ll make it look like a bloody accident.”  
  
The Lieutenant scooped his wrist brace from the floor and stood, leaving the table, tilting his hat at Adele as he did so.  
  
“Aramis be easy on him.”  
  
“How can I? He stood by me as I sobbed by your grave...”  
  
“I would not be alive if it were not for him. Put that first in your mind.”  
  
Aramis shook his head, completely unsure what to think. His hands reached out, cupping the woman’s that were resting on the table.  
  
“What about the Red Guard uniform?”  
  
“Athos trained me; as a form of self-defence should Richelieu send his men after me, had he discovered me alive. I wanted to help out and, after a few weeks of nattering his ear off, he eventually helped me sneak into the Red Guards. I acted as a spy, giving him information that I overhead... Richelieu and the King, Richelieu and the Queen... Anyone he spoke to when I was present, the information went back to Athos.”  
  
“You were working under the man who killed you?!”  
  
Aramis glared daggers at the man on the table nearby.  
  
“I made sure I never performed too well, or too poorly. He never saw me without the helmet. He never even looked at me for more than a second. If he truly knew it was me, he said and did nothing.”  
  
Aramis nodded a little, pale, confused.  
  
“My only regret is that my attempt at killing the man never worked.”  
  
Aramis choked on the air he was inhaling.  
  
“You tried to kill the man?”  
  
“Poison. It very nearly worked. But, of course, you Musketeers saved him... Athos nearly shot me himself that day.”  
  
Aramis gave a dry chuckle.  
  
“That dreadful man... has been dead a year. Why did you not come back then?”  
  
“It never seemed like the right time... Besides, I’ have been rather busy trying to spy on Rochefort. I need to help Athos out still... But now... Now I am giving up the Red Guards.”  
  
Aramis nodded a little, falling silent, processing all the information in his mind.  
  
“Are you mad?”  
  
“Furious.”  
  
She nodded a little, completely understanding before she squeezed his hands.  
  
“It was never the right time to see you. Understand that at least?”  
  
Aramis nodded, giving another dry chuckle.  
  
“No no, I- I understand.”  
  
Aramis licked his lips before looking up at her as she cleared her throat.  
  
“I have to go. I seem to be guarding the dauphin’s chambers tonight, for the forth night in a row.”  
  
Aramis choked and Adele frowned, looking over at Athos at the next table as he laughed into his wine.  
  
“Am I missing something?”  
  
“Not at all, my love, not at all... Will I see you later?”  
  
“I suppose I could drop by in the morning, once my duty finishes. I think we have a lot to discuss.”  
  
“Oh that we do, that we do...”  
  
Adele nodded and stood, tying her hair back and pulling her helmet back on.  
  
“Oh, Aramis, how did that wound heal? The one you sustained from André de Piñon in that drunken tavern brawl?”  
  
“Absolutely fine, I’ve a scar from the bugger- Wait how do you know about that?”  
  
“Because you’re looking at André.”  
  
She turned and walked out, heading straight out the door. Athos laughed at the bewildered look on Aramis’ face, prompting the Musketeer to glare at his Lieutenant, before shifting to go and sit next to him.  
  
“Get me a drink. Then, I am going to murder you...”


End file.
